Managing communication rates between applications in a tiered application computing environment

Abstract

Described herein are systems, methods, and software to manage communication rates between applications in a tiered application computing environment. In one implementation, a load service monitor load information associated with applications that each execute using one or more virtual nodes. The load service further determines that the load information associated with an application of the applications satisfy one or more load criteria and identifies at least one application that communicates requests to the application. Once identified, the load service communicates a notification to the at least one application to update a communication request configuration to the application.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 monitoring, in a load service, load information associated with applications in a tiered application environment, wherein each of the applications executes using one or more virtual nodes, and wherein the load service executes separate from the applications; 
 determining, in the load service, that the load information associated with a first application in a first tier of the applications satisfies one or more load criteria; and 
 in the load service and in response to determining that the load information associated with the first application satisfies the one or more load criteria:
 identifying at least one other application of the applications in a different tier, wherein the different tier is two or more tiers above the first tier; and 
 communicating a notification to the at least one other application to modify a configuration for communicating requests in the tiered application environment. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more virtual nodes comprises one or more virtual machines. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the load information comprises memory usage or processing system usage by the virtual nodes for the applications. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the load information comprises memory usage or processing system usage on one or more host computing systems that host the virtual nodes. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to the notification, changing a communication rate from the at least one other application from a first rate to a second rate. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 determining that the load information associated with the first application satisfies one or more second load criteria; and 
 communicating a notification to the at least one other application to return to the first rate. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to the notification, pausing communications from the at least one other application. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one other application communicates requests to the first application. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein communicating the notification to the at least one other application to modify the configuration for communicating requests in the tiered application environment comprises communicating the notification to the at least one other application to change a destination for requests from the at least one other application. 
     
     
       10. A computing apparatus comprising:
 a storage system; 
 a processing system operatively coupled to the storage system; and 
 program instructions stored on the storage system that, when executed by the processing system, direct the computing apparatus to:
 monitor, in a load service, load information associated with applications in a tiered application environment, wherein each of the applications executes using one or more virtual nodes, and wherein the load service executes separate from the applications; 
 determine that the load information associated with a first application in a first tier of the applications satisfies one or more load criteria; and 
 in response to determining that the load information associated with the first application satisfies the one or more load criteria:
 identify at least one other application of the applications in a different tier, wherein the different tier is two or more tiers above the first tier; and 
 communicate a notification to the at least one application to modify a configuration for communicating requests in the tiered application environment. 
 
 
 
     
     
       11. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more virtual nodes comprises one or more virtual machines. 
     
     
       12. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the load information comprises memory usage or processing system usage by the virtual nodes for the applications. 
     
     
       13. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the load information comprises memory usage or processing system usage on one or more host computing systems that host the virtual nodes. 
     
     
       14. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the program instructions further direct the computing apparatus to, in response to the notification, change a communication rate from the at least one other application from a first rate to a second rate. 
     
     
       15. The computing apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the program instructions further direct the computing apparatus to:
 determine that the load information associated with the first application satisfies one or more second load criteria; and 
 communicate a notification to the at least one other application to return to the first rate. 
 
     
     
       16. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the program instructions further direct the computing apparatus to, in response to the notification, pause communications from the at least one other application. 
     
     
       17. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one other application communicates requests to the first application. 
     
     
       18. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein communicating the notification to the at least one other application to modify the configuration for communicating requests in the tiered application environment comprises communicating the notification to the at least one other application to change a destination for requests from the at least one other application. 
     
     
       19. The computing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the program instructions further direct the computing apparatus to update a load balancer in a logical router for the applications. 
     
     
       20. An apparatus comprising:
 a storage system; 
 program instructions stored on the storage system that, when executed by a processing system of a computing system, direct the computing system to:
 monitor load information associated with applications in a tiered application environment, wherein each of the applications executes using one or more virtual nodes; 
 determine that the load information associated with a first application in a first tier of the applications satisfies one or more load criteria; 
 identify two or more applications of the applications in different tiers above the first application; and 
 communicate a notification to the two or more applications to modify a configuration for communicating requests in the tiered application environment.